Crash survivor Mike fighting fit

INDY 500 crash survivor Mike Conway is fighting back to fitness — at minus 140°C.

That's the temperature inside a special "healing" chamber being used by the 27-year-old miracle man, who cheated death in a 220mph plane-style smash at America's great race.

Conway, who escaped with a shattered leg and cracked vertebra when his car took off over another and somersaulted into the barrier, is aiming to be back in the cockpit in six weeks.

That's less than four months after the spectacular shunt which most spectators thought must have killed him.

The astonishing recovery of the ace from Sevenoaks, Kent, is being speeded up by an intense rehabilitation programme including regular sessions in a "kriotherapy" chamber.

The extreme cold inside, created by liquid nitrogen, triggers a "fight or flight" response which pumps blood fast around the body, boosting the healing process.

Conway, who spends up to four minutes at a time in the chamber, said: "It's like walking into a wall of ice.

"Your nostril hairs freeze up within a couple of breaths.

"Ironically, when it's that cold you get a kind of burning feeling. You try to brave it out but if you start feeling your fingers getting numb you have to come out.

"It's going well, though. I'm just trying to speed up my recovery as fast as I can."

Conway is aiming to return to the Indycar series at Japan's Motegi circuit in mid-September as long as he feels 100 per cent fit.

He has had a brace removed from his neck and a cast from his left leg, and has begun to get a feel for racing again in a simulator.

He told how he remembers everything about his mega crash — but has no fear of jumping back into the cockpit.

Conway, a former Honda and Brawn F1 test driver, said: "The day after the accident happened I was asking the doctors when I could get back in, so there's no fear at all really.

"Racing is what I love doing. We all know it's dangerous and accidents can happen.

"You hope it doesn't happen to you but hopefully this will be the only big shunt of my career."

Conway gave a graphic description of the crash, saying with massive understatement that "it all happened pretty quickly".

It came on the last lap of the 500 as his Dallara-Honda was catapulted over the slowing car of rival Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Conway said: "I remember it all because I was never unconscious.

"When I took off I saw the sky and the fence and I knew I was heading towards it.

"But I didn't feel the car somersault before the hit. When you're in the air it's quite difficult to feel that.

"There was a lot of crashing and banging and I just tried to keep my arms inside the cockpit.

"Eventually it came down on the ground and started spinning across the tarmac. At that point I was praying no one would hit me because that could have been pretty bad.

"The car came to a stop and I just wanted to get out.

"I didn't feel any pain — I think it was all the adrenaline I had built up during the race.

"I tried to get out but then I realised my leg was broken so I just calmed down and let the safety crew get on with doing what they do best."

But Conway, who was on for a brilliant fourth place finish before the shunt, admitted: "I was pretty lucky to get away with that one."

The driver revealed his Dreyer and Reinbold Racing team is sticking by him and offering total support during his recovery.

He added: "They've told me they can't wait to get me back and I've told them I will be back as soon as I can."